What did the Black Cross on WW II planes mean and what was its name .(not the sw

Question: What did the Black Cross on WW II planes mean and what was its name !.(not the swatzika) !?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

The Luftwaffe Balkenkreuz
(beam cross) was carried on the upper and lower wings and the fuselages of practically all German military aircraft between 1935 and 1945!. It was essentially the national marking used by the German Air Service in the last year of World War I!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It is called the Iron Cross!. It is an award!. The Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only — though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions!. As an example, the civilian pilot Hanna Reitsch was awarded the Iron Cross First Class for her bravery as a test pilot during World War II!. Adolf Hitler restored the Iron Cross in 1939 as a German decoration (rather than Prussian as in earlier versions), continuing the tradition of issuing it in various grades!. Legally it is based on the enactment (Reichsgesetzblatt I S!. 1573) of 1 September 1939 Verordnung über die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes (Regulation of the renewing of the Iron Cross)!. The Iron Cross of the Second World War was divided into three main series of decorations with an intermediate category, the Knight's Cross, instituted between the lowest, the Iron Cross, and the highest, the Grand Cross!. The Knight's Cross replaced the Prussian Pour le Mérite or "Blue Max"!. Hitler did not care for the Pour le Mérite, as it was a Prussian order that could be awarded only to officers!. The ribbon of the medal (2nd class and Knight's Cross) was different from the earlier Iron Crosses in that the color red was used in addition to the traditional black and white (black and white were the colours of Prussia, while black, white, and red were the colors of Germany)!. Hitler also created the War Merit Cross as a replacement for the non-combatant version of the Iron Cross!.

You can find out more at
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Iron_CrossWww@QuestionHome@Com

The standard black cross used on german military equipment was the Teutonic Cross!. It was the heraldic symbol of the crusading Order of Teutonic Knights, formed at the end of the 12th century!. It has been the symbol for Germany's Armed forces since 1871!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It was the Iron CrossWww@QuestionHome@Com

Its the Iron Cross and a symbol of German armed forces since the 1870's or so!.Www@QuestionHome@Com